When Peggy Ann looked at her property in the town of Mukwonago, she
envisioned paths wandering through her woods and how the mowed
landscape would abut and blend with the natural grass in the meadows.
"I started planting the wildflowers before I started building the
house," she says.
Today, the 30 acres that surround her home are a blend of both
natural and formal landscaping. "I liked putting the meadows up
to the cut grass. It creates mystique and hides imperfections,"
Peggy Ann says.
She worked with landscape architect Dennis Buettner and then
LandWorks Inc. of Sussex to create "organized chaos"
throughout her property. "I know what I like. Most people can’t
decide what they like," she says. "I can visualize what I
want."
"She’s an artisan in every sense of the word," says
LandWorks’ Melody Narr. "She lets things be random and natural
and intertwines splashes of color. It never looks out of place. She’s
got that great eye."
Part of that creative vision was naming the land. "For a few
years I knew I wanted to name my property. I thought about all kinds
of names, but came up with Wildflower," Peggy Ann says. She says
the word wildflower also fits her personality. "A wildflower is a
sturdy flower that takes root and takes tender loving care at the
beginning, but then grows strong."
Her
favorite part of the property is the statue named Wildflower that
stands prominently at the edge of a patio. She found the statue at an
art gallery and thought it was a perfect representation of her land
— a statue of a woman surrounded by birds. "I have it pointed
in the direction facing the lake to greet visitors. I also feel she is
watching over me when I wake up in the morning," says Peggy Ann.
Although Peggy Ann has help maintaining the property, she does her
part. One of her favorite pastimes is deadheading flowers while
watching the sunset. "I love to walk around enjoying the
nature," she says.
"She has fun with it, and that’s what a landscape should
be," says Narr.
Narr and the LandWorks crew take personal pride in Peggy Ann’s
property. They recently won the gold maintenance award in the
Wisconsin Landscape Contractors Association 2009 competition.
